Children suffering from HIV/AIDS line up to form an AIDS ribbon as they take part in an AIDS awareness campaign to mark World AIDS Day in Mumbai December 1, 2012.
While HIV infects a declining number of children, the amount of AIDS-related deaths among adolescents is rising sharply.
According to a UNICEF report released on Friday, 50% more people between the ages of 10 and 19 died because of AIDS in 2012 compared to 2005. Among children in low- and middle-income countries, only 34% received the treatment they needed, compared to 64% of adults.
“It’s a matter of reaching the most vulnerable adolescents with effective programmes – urgently,” said UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake.
During the same period, however, improved maternity care spared 850,000 infants of being infected by HIV.